Ange Postecoglou: Made in Melbourne

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is this week back in the city he once called home. To mark his return, The Athletic’s Abi Paterson has produced a new podcast series — Ange Postecoglou: Made in Melbourne

In August 2023, The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare foresaw a time in Ange Postecoglou’s first season at Tottenham when pundits would just give up on the Australian’s tactics and tell him to change.

“There will come a point at which they (Tottenham) lose badly to a team they’re expected to beat because they play in a certain way,” Charlie said on The View From The Lane back in August. “And there will be a lot of pundits saying, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m all for good football, but there comes a time you’ve got to shut up shop’.”

Sound familiar?

It was around that time that I also moved out to Australia and have since felt the passion that this country has for one of, if not the greatest footballing success stories.

Combine the Ange Factor (™) with the power of the Matildas — who last summer hosted the Women’s World Cup — and Australian soccer should be in a very strong position. While ticket sales for the national teams remain strong, the club game needs work. But that’s not for now.

Ange has this week returned home to his beloved Melbourne and on Wednesday his Tottenham team will play on the hallowed turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Postecoglou during his time with Melbourne Victory in 2012 (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Imagine telling Melburnians back in the 1980s and 90s that the Greek-Australian with a moustache and curly locks they were watching maraud up and down the left flank would one day be in such a position. Actually, they probably would have believed you.

Ange has always had his mind on football, on coaching, on belonging.

His autobiography, Changing the Game, is a passionate and evangelical account of his life and his love for the game. These are Ange’s closing remarks: “You’ve got to find the story you want to tell and then pursue it relentlessly (…) a Greek migrant boy who longs to be close to his father and, in changing Australian football for the better, finds meaning and the place he belongs”.

It was these words, and a well-timed trip to Melbourne, which led me to want to find out a little more and put voices to the stories that you have no doubt read on these pages.

That has resulted in a three-part special series detailing the Melbourne chapter of Postecoglou’s life, taking in his boyhood club, his break into coaching, and the legacy he continues to leave behind.

From Middle Park to the Maracana, Ange Postecoglou’s time at South Melbourne was the first in a long list of successes and it all started with a BBQ and ended on the beach in Rio.

Postecoglou is held in high regard in Melbourne

Over the three parts, you’ll hear from the man who first put him in front of the South Melbourne selectors, the man who scored in the Grand Finals to secure back-to-back Championships for South Melbourne, and the men who continue to teach his tactics to the youth teams of today in Melbourne.

So grab a coffee, take a drive, or just go for a walk, however you like to relax and take in your podcasts, and have an hour to yourself to soak in the football goodness of Ange Postecoglou’s brilliant story.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all the usual places by searching for ‘Go Deeper’ wherever you get your podcasts. Click here to listen.

Part One: Home Away from Home

Ange Postecoglou’s success is not a new story to Australian football fans, but in the wider football world, his background — his city, community, and club — is less well known. In this part, we explore the Greek and South Melbourne Hellas strand to the Ange story including his time as a player at Middle Park.

Ange Postecoglou: Made in Melbourne – Part Two: Captain to Coach

Ange Postecoglou suffers a career-ending injury aged just 26. Later, South Melbourne Hellas are suffering their worst season in years but Ange is not the obvious person to take over. In this part, we hear how Ange got his coaching break and his instant impact.

Ange Postecoglou: Made in Melbourne – Part Three: Leave a Legacy

Ange Postecoglou is now making a name for himself in the western hemisphere, but what about the country he has left behind? Is there anything of the Postecoglou philosophy remaining in Australia? In our final part, we travel to a grassroots club who are following closely in Ange’s footsteps.